William Jewell College running back MicahJo Barnett had a medical emergency on the sideline during the school’s season opener on Saturday. and the school later announced his death.
Barnett, a junior, reportedly experienced seizure-like symptoms during the first quarter of the Division II contest against Fort Lewis College. The game was played on William Jewell’s campus in Liberty, Mo., about 20 miles northeast of Kansas City.
Barnett experienced the emergency at approximately 12:20 p.m. local time. Paramedics from the Liberty Fire Department took him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The game was suspended after the medical episode and subsequently canceled.
“William Jewell College and the Liberty, Missouri, community mourn the passing of MicahJo Barnett, junior business administration major and member of Jewell Cardinal Football team and former Liberty North Eagle,” the school wrote on its website. “Our thoughts and prayers are with MicahJo’s family, our students, the Cardinal Football family, and the rest of our community during this time of loss.”
Officials planned a vigil Saturday night on the school’s quad to honor Barnett and his family.
Barnett rushed six times for 29 yards during the game, which included a 1-yard touchdown run at the 5:15 mark of the first quarter for the game’s lone score. The game was halted with 4:32 left in the first.
Barnett, an academic all-conference honoree in 2025, was beginning his third season with the Cardinals. He rushed for 366 yards and four touchdowns in five games last season before sustaining a season-ending injury. In 2024, he rushed for 91 yards and two scores in eight games.